Faster start and slower finish this week
The Syracuse Orange got off to a stronger start on the road at California and it allowed for the offense to be a bit more balanced and effective- especially in the second quarter.
One thing I noticed in doing this week’s numbers was that Syracuse made a concerted effort to get the ball in the hands of LeQuint Allen, Oronde Gadsden and Trebor Pena on first downs. On 25 of the Orange’s 35 first-down plays, those three players ran or caught the ball.
Even with settling for two first quarter field goals, putting up 27 points heading into the break without a defensive or special teams score is impressive. The offense was absolutely humming in the second quarter and Fran Brown was able to be aggressive on 4th downs (4-4 on the day)
The second half offense didn’t deliver as much as we would have liked, but Syracuse was able to control the ball enough for a 15-play drive which ate up 6:30 minutes and led to Jackson Kennedy’s final field goal.
I’m sure the Orange players and coaches will look at what didn’t work in the second half (penalties at inopportune times were a culprit) as they strive to put together two strong halves at home.